3 comments about The First Emperor of China.

1. This book is a good biography of Qin Shi Huang Di. It is enough complete. It would be better if the author had used very common words. However, it is sound and well-documented. He is a historical character that one cannot ignore. I will surely buy other books of mr. Clements.



2. This is such a well researched biography. I wish I had read this book before seeing the recent movies and opera on the first emperor. It provides a very informative and lively account of that chaotic period in Chinese history.



3. I purchased The First Emperor of China by Jonathan Clements for research. As such, I looked forward to a rather dull and uninteresting book - and found it to be fascinating. While not necessarily a `page burner', it certainly held my interest (a good thing). I decided to read it before reading my other purchase, Records of the Grand Historian - Qin Dynasty by Sima Qian, Translated by Burton Watson. For me, that was a good decision, as The First Emperor of China is a much more `readable' book of the same period and person.
   
   If your interests lie in Ancient China, I heartily recommend this book. It gives a flavor of the people, the customs, the culture, even the architecture. And it is a marvelous introduction to the Emperor as he was, rather than as the movies make him out to have been.
   
   My one gripe about The First Emperor of China is the use of Endnotes. I absolutely HATE having footnotes relegated to the back of the book.

1 comments about Gloriana: The Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I (Pimlico).

1. I really liked this book! I enjoy reading about and researching the Tudors (by researching, I mean reading existing research). I have a book "All the Queen's Men: Elizabeth and her Courtiers" by Neville Williams. I loved the reproductions of paintings in that book, and so tracked down "Gloriana" to see and compare as many pictures of Elizabeth as I could. I must say the pictures are great, and plentiful. The text is well written too. It describes the art and explains the purpose of and evolution of the stylised portraits of Elizabeth. It's not the book's fault, but it was missing some things I hoped to find, as follows: few pictures of those close to Elizabeth (I shouldn't probably have expected this, but I like to look for family resemblances, and the looks of her suitors!); little text description of Elizabeth (based on the author's reseach, I hoped he'd tell us whether her eyes were blue or brown, how tall she was etc. Hard to tell from the art - the colors and proportions vary); and finally, some portraits that are described in the text are not illustrated. Not many, but I wanted to see more. That being said, you can't go wrong with this book if you want to study the portraits. I am very pleased to have this as part of my little Tudor library! (My copy is paperback, I have not seen the hardback.)

1 comments about King George V.

1. Kenneth Rose is an excellent scholar and this book is about scholarship--debunking the myths and telling the straight story about King George V and the politicians with whom he dealth. My only wish is that I could know more about George V the man, but this is the same objection that I've had of all scholarly biographers of Kings.

4 comments about Childhood at Court 1819-1914.

1. I found this book an enthralling read from start to finish. It transported me through time to the Victorian and Edwardian eras - a fascinating study of the lives of the matriarchal Queen Victoria, her children and grandchildren.
   John Van der Kiste paints a vivid picture of the lifestyle of the aristocracy. I couldn't help comparing their lives to the poverty-stricken living in squalor, but that is for a different book.

   The book begins with the story of Queen Victoria's own childhood which it goes into in some detail. It shows how she developed from a shy and insular young girl to a matriarch of the first order. We are then taken through the early married life of the Queen and the Prince Consort and the birth of each of their nine children.

   There is a lot of fascinating detail in this book about the family life of the Queen. There are many anecdotes about the children, and although contact between parent and child was much less than we would have in a modern day family, it is plain that Victoria and Albert were loving and devoted parents who took a keen interest in the development of their children.

   As time progresses we are introduced to the Queen's grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is interesting to read of the contrast in the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra as parents, as unlike Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as you could wish. They were much more lively and fun loving and this really comes across as you read further.
   There are some wonderful anecdotes about King Edward and his grandchildren. His geniality sparkles from the page.

   There seems to have been an about turn with George V who was a much more distant parent. It was interesting to read about all his children, as one usually hears most about the two brothers who later became King.

   If you like English or European history you will find this book fascinating. It gives a flavour of the time and is eminently readable without being too heavy, even when going into politics, and without being frothy.
   It is fascinating to learn of the inter-personal relationships within this massive family descending from one remarkable lady.

   I thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt that the individuals almost leapt from the page. I understood far more about them and their role in England's future having read it.

   To make a history book riveting takes a particular talent and this author seems to have this in abundance. John Van der Kiste has a talent for getting right into a subject so that you can really imagine that you are there as an observer.

   I highly recommend this book.




2. I found this book an enthralling read from start to finish. It transported me through time to the Victorian and Edwardian eras - a fascinating study of the lives of the matriarchal Queen Victoria, her children and grandchildren.
   John Van der Kiste paints a vivid picture of the lifestyle of the aristocracy. I couldn't help comparing their lives to the poverty-stricken living in squalor, but that is for a different book.

   The book begins with the story of Queen Victoria's own childhood which it goes into in some detail. It shows how she developed from a shy and insular young girl to a matriarch of the first order. We are then taken through the early married life of the Queen and the Prince Consort and the birth of each of their nine children.

   There is a lot of fascinating detail in this book about the family life of the Queen. There are many anecdotes about the children, and although contact between parent and child was much less than we would have in a modern day family, it is plain that Victoria and Albert were loving and devoted parents who took a keen interest in the development of their children.

   As time progresses we are introduced to the Queen's grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is interesting to read of the contrast in the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra as parents, as unlike Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as you could wish. They were much more lively and fun loving and this really comes across as you read further.
   There are some wonderful anecdotes about King Edward and his grandchildren. His geniality sparkles from the page.

   There seems to have been an about turn with George V who was a much more distant parent. It was interesting to read about all his children, as one usually hears most about the two brothers who later became King.

   If you like English or European history you will find this book fascinating. It gives a flavour of the time and is eminently readable without being too heavy, even when going into politics, and without being frothy.
   It is fascinating to learn of the inter-personal relationships within this massive family descending from one remarkable lady.

   I thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt that the individuals almost leapt from the page. I understood far more about them and their role in England's future having read it.

   To make a history book riveting takes a particular talent and this author seems to have this in abundance. John Van der Kiste has a talent for getting right into a subject so that you can really imagine that you are there as an observer.

   I highly recommend this book.




3. This book was so interesting! Enough has certainly been written about Queen Victoria that you'd think yet another biograpy of her and her family is not what the world needs: but this book is very much true to its title in concentrating on Victoria's childhood, that of her children, and that of her grand-children. People say that Childhood was invented in the Victorian period, and it is fascinating to see how an ultra-priveledged upbringing changed in the 100 years that this book covers. Even the changes that took place while Victoria's children were growing up is fascinating: the eldest daughter was married to a German prince at age 15, while her youngest daughter didn't marry until she was in her late 20's!

   I definately recomend this book to anyone who is interested in british royal history, or the history of childhood. Since Victoria's children married all over Europe, anyone who is interested in European history would also find this book well worth a read. Since it is not too long and not too dry, it would also be a good book for a teenager or young person who is ready for adult non-fiction, but wants something that they can relate to.




4. Childhood at Court is an entertaining look at the lives of royal children at the British Court from 1819 to 1914, roughly the lifespan of Queen Victoria and her son Edward VII. There have been innumerable biographies of Queen Victoria and her children, but none that have focussed only on their childhoods. This book therefore fills a gap, and does so with an interesting, fresh style which makes use of plenty of anecdotes, some well known, others more obscure. I was interested to come across some of these stories, because I have read many histories and biographies of the period, and many of Van der Kiste's anecdotes were brand new. Both Queen Victoria and her son Edward VII had childhoods best described as dysfunctional, but its interesting to see how the future king seems to have learned from his parents' mistakes and given his own children a happier upbringing. Queen Victoria also seems to have mellowed as she grew older, and its nice to read about the antics her younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren were allowed to get away with, like slapping the Queen's hand and saying "Naughty Grandmamma!!"

   This is a nice addition to anyone's library of books about royals or books about children.

5 comments about The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline.

1. A biography about one of England's most enigmatic and on this side of the pond at least lesser known Queens. Charlotte born into the rather stogy provincal atmosphere of the Hanoverian Court was married off while still a teenager to her first cousin the future King George IV. A dandy and bon vivant who had already contracted a marriage years ago to the attractive and apparently virtuous widow Mrs. FitzHerbert. Alas Mrs. FitzHerbert was not only a commoner but a staunch catholic and George was a spend thrift. When His father refused to continue filling his coffers unless he found himself a proper (i.e. Royal) bride he abandoned Mrs. FitzHerbert and wed poor Charlotte.

   Almost at once however he was repulsed by his cousin (whom he had never before met). After siring one child (a daughter Charlotte) he promptly returned to the far more worldly and appealing Mrs. FitzHerbert. This led poor Charlotte to rebel.

   Her rebellion was to cost her dearly. Leading in the end to a notorioius and flawed trial headed by parliment to decide if she was in fact guilty of adultry.

   Charlotte led a tragic but interesting life. As with Marie-Antoinette it can be said that Charlotte's own bad judgement and ignorance were as much (if not more) to blame for her misfortunes as the ill will of her enemies.

   Overall it was an engaing account of a fascinating woman and period in time. It gave glimpses into the lives of the rest of the British Royal Family. From George's rather embittered maiden sisters to his mad father King George III and his outwardly sweet but meddling mother Queen Charlotte.




2. Whatever were they THINKING!?! I mean, the author, and worse, the editors. This is an appallingly bad book. I staggered through the whole University of California paperback version, convinced that eventually it would improve. Sadly, I was too optimistic.

   Caroline of Brunswick was clearly quite an unpleasant person all 'round. Ill-educated, dishonest, gullible, ill-bred, plain at best, lacking in style and sense, desperate for any sort of attention, she would be difficult to like in the hands of the most talented biographer. It's a shame that she was left to Flora Fraser. This particular Ms. Fraser is living proof that a talent for biography isn't hereditary. She is pendantic, tedious, and apparently without enthusiasm for her subject, whom she abandons regularly in pursuit of political minutiae.

   I was startled by the ineptitude of the editing. In a number of instances the vocabulary used was clearly anachronistic slang, but the quotes were not footnoted, leaving the reader bewildered as to the meaning of the quote. In these instances, the Oxford English Dictionary was no help, surely a responsible standard for an editor of a British/American release? Some quotes are simply inaccurate.

   I suspect the editors may have been overawed by Flora Fraser's lineage, and hopeful of a comparison between Diana Spencer and Caroline of Brunswick. If Caroline was as Flora Fraser describes, there is scant ground for such hopes.

   I majored in British history, am quite accustomed to dry texts, and have read each and every one of Lady Antonia Fraser's splendid works with pleasure. In this case, the daughter should NOT have attempted to go into the family trade, she has no talent for it.

   I very much regret the time I wasted plodding through this exceedingly dull book about a sad, dreary woman who would have been best left to rest in peace.

   And no, to the best of my knowledge, I'm no relation to this branch of Frasers.




3. Flora Fraser writes beautifully, and her research is impeccable. This is one of the best "life and times" set in Georgian England available today. The popularity of Queen Caroline with the populace, always looking for symbols of opposition to the monarchy, makes clearer the similar fascination in our time with as inexplicable a figure as Diana, Princess of Wales. The books is a great read that has something to say, rather like the wonderful Mediterranean histories written by the late Sir Steven Runicman (e.g., History of the Crusades). The Unruly Queen, along with David Gilmour's Curzon, are must reading for those interested in British history.



4. This is a fascinating, almost incredible, true story, but (as reviewers who've preceded me here have pointed out) Flora Fraser hasn't managed to do it justice. Queen Caroline's actions are so baffling, so inconsistent, and so seemingly self-destructive that a writer really must have a "take" on her for a biography to be enlightening or moving. Fraser seems almost afraid to take a stand, or else so mired in her research that she's lost the need for a big picture. The result is that when Caroline veers in completely new directions-- suddenly taking lovers after years of faithfulness to a husband who despised her, or leaving England at the drop of a hat after years of determination to fight her battles there-- the reader gets the (highly detailed) facts without any insights that could help us understand a seemingly random shift. We don't even learn why Caroline, with few marital prospects into her mid-20s, was chosen to marry the future George IV in the first place. It's not even clear whether Fraser likes her subject, approves of her actions, or felt much enthusiasm for the project except as a collector of commemorative objects she calls "Carolingiana." I guess writing biographies is just the family business...
   
   Specific oddities include no real sense of George IV's personality or motivation, the tendency of key people to drop out of the narrative altogether when they're not present in Caroline's life (even those important to Caroline, like her daughter Charlotte), and detailed descriptions of paintings (by one of Caroline's supposed lovers, Thomas Lawrence) that Fraser hasn't actually included in the illustrations. So much is made of the transformation of Caroline's appearance over the years that we really do need to see more from her later life than caricatures and cartoons.
   
   It would seem inevitable that someone will make a great drama out of this story-- as a biography, or even as a play or film. It's a shame that Fraser didn't see that she could convey some of this drama, and real insight, without compromising her extensive research.



5. Both Fraser Mother & Fraser daughter can research a subject to death. However, neither writes gracefully or entertainingly. This book reads like a compilation of notes. Yawn. I'd rather read a loosey goosey Mitford biography, as if I wanted sleep, I'd read dissertations.

No comments about Royal Blunders.

5 comments about Queen Victoria's Family: A Century of Photographs.

1. for those interested in royalty. While some of these photos can be found in many different books, some of them I've seen for the first time. Queen Victoria's decendants are so numerous and belong to so many different royal houses. Definitely a worthwhile purchase!



2. There are certain photos that I simply expect to see when perusing volumes about European royalty. However, upon receiving Zeepvat's book, I was thrilled to find so many rarely seen photos of some of the more obscure descendants of the "Grandmother of Europe." If you're a royalty buff like I am, you can spend hours immersed in this marvelous book and its detailed family trees.



3. Absolutely remarkable. Charlotte Zeepvat takes the reader into the lives of Queen Victoria and her family with the amazing photographs, both candid and formal. The pictures are rare. They are well organized and have excellent captions. Zeepvat is a great writer/historian and I recommend her books to all.



4. This is an excellent resource as well as enjoyable reading and viewing. Queen Victoria had a large, illustrious family. This book not only humanizes and personalizes the many family members, it also helps to make sense of the extended family connections - particularly with the included family trees in the back of the book.
   
   I have perused through this book many times, and have recently given one to a friend, who absolutely loved it. This is not a history book that will just sit on a shelf. It is a required addition to anyone interested in the history of Queen Victoria and the Eurpoean monarchies.



5. excellent photographs of collection of royal family of england ,from1840-1940.some of the pictures i've seen before ,but there are alot of new one's not seen before.

2 comments about Yale English Monarchs - William Rufus (The English Monarchs Series).

1. William Rufus (William the Red), second son of William the Conquer,took over England while his older brother's back was turned and ruled it for little over a decade before being killed in a strange hunting "accident" in the New Forest. That's about all the space he gets in history today, except the claims that he was a homosexual, an atheist, an all-round bad person and the less said the better. While this book takes pains to look at and question these charges,it is not the only subject that the author deals with in William's regin. Despite being a "wild and crazy guy" and running a court that looks like a frat house, William seems also to have been an able adminstor, a good diplomat and a strong enough miltary leader to keep his elder brother out of England and the Saxons quiet. I enjoied this book, one of the few on the subject and a serious study of it's subject. A good source on a rare subject.



2. I was impressed with the amount of detail on William Rufus by Frank Barlow. He pieced together a time in English history that seems to be looked over by most historians. Barlow makes a strong analytical approach to dispelling public perception of William Rufus. He makes sure you understand that the remaining documentaton on William Rufus is so fragmented. And that that does remain is from one point of view, the Church which obvouisly does not favor William Rufus. Barlow points out William II was a more capable ruler than most give him credit for and this angle is enough to make this book a must read for those interested in Norman History and the English crown.

3 comments about Queen Victoria at Home.

1. This book is a reflection on the life of Queen Victoria by someone who is clearly fascinated by her and who probably knows everything there is to know about her. It is easy to read and does not require you to know a great deal about her already in order to make any sense out of the book.
   On the other hand, if you are already well-read about Victoria, this book, in my opinion, brings little that's new. But if you are willing to take the journey with this author and let him share his thoughts in the way usually reserved for a dear old friend, then you will find a pleasant un-bumpy ride along the way.



2. this good bood on basic facts about queen victoria and her era.this is a easy read.



3. An easy read on Queen Victoria. This book adds nothing new but simply rehash everything that you've read in other biographies on Queen Victoria. Its not a bad book it is very well written and I enjoyed it very much. But if your expecting any new information on her you won't find it in this book.

4 comments about Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula.

1. I was very disappointed in this book. While the history sections are reasonably solid, the author falls into the usual traps whenever he tries to make links between the historical Vlad and the Dracula of Bram Stoker's novel. Numerous times he states speculation as if it were fact. Worse, he makes statements that any reader of the novel "Dracula" would know are ludicrous: for example, that at the end of the story, Count Dracula has a stake driven through his heart; or that Dracula is unable to function during the day. To be fair to the author, I plan to write him directly and elaborate on all the flaws I found in the book. Maybe in a second edition (if there is one) they can be corrected. In the meantime, if you are looking for a reliable book on Vlad without all the nonsense about his being the inspiration for Stoker's novel, stick with "Vlad III Dracula" by Kurt Treptow.

   Dr. Elizabeth Miller
   www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller [Dracula's homepage]




2. Expertly presented by crime writer and historian M. J. Trow, Vlad The Impaler: In Search Of The Real Dracula is an impressively researched, meticulously detailed, and superbly written study of the life of the ruthless historical figure whose memory and legend became the inspiration for the enduring legend of a blood-drinking, undead fiend. Yet there was a great deal more to this controversial prince (as vicious as he was), than what his legends say - he was, in historical fact, "more sinned against than sinning". Vlad had to contend with avenging the murders of his family, defending his nation-state from brutal enemies who took every pain to destroy his reputation, and who eventually became a defeated martyr, captured by the Hungarian King Corvinus. Vlad The Impaler is very highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to community library biography collections.



3. I am no expert on Dracula but my historical sensibilities have been offended by several serious errors in the text. Here are just two examples: on pages 9-10 Mr. Trow writes:

   "...Oliver Cromwell, whose head ... may or may not have been separated from his body..."

   It is a well-known fact that Cromwell's head definitely had been separated from his body, and found its lonely grave only in 1960.

   On page 123 we find the following fragment about Jan Zizka:

   "...he had fought for the Teutonic Order against the Poles...
   Losing an eye at Tannenberg in 1410 fighting for Wenceslas..."

   These two incomplete sentences contain four mistakes. First, Zizka fought FOR the Poles AGAINST the Teutonic Order. Second, he did so at the battle of Tannenberg in 1410, therefore he couldn't fight there for Wenceslas. Third, the unnamed battle from the first sentence and the battle of Tannenberg/Grunwald are one and the same event. Fourth, Zizka lost an eye in his adolescence.

   In short, this book could really benefit from knowledgeable editing.




4. Although the book has several chapters about vampirism and Bram Stoker's Dracula, the remaining chapters about Vlad Tepes are very detailed and a good read. Vlad surely was one of the most cruel tyrants ever and his atrocities are described with much detail. Contemporaries wrote about the "untold abuses, sad murders and mutilations by the cruel tyrant Dracula" and the author discusses the sources and their reliability by their level of interest in blackening Vlad. According to Trow, many of Vlad Dracula's acts can be interpreted as efforts to enforce his own moral code upon his country and to strengthen and modernise the central government at the expense of the nobility, because they had repeatedly undermined the power of the Wallachia's rulers (and buried alive his elder brother).
   An interesting section describes the `usual' way of impalement and the most likely way used by Vlad in the case of mass impalements or when a mother was impaled together with her baby.